NSPCC Snowdon Sunrise Challenge, 19th & 20th September 2015

This event was staged by Action Challenge for the NSPCC.

There were two hikes: an afternoon lowland warm-up hike, and a night hike to the summit of Snowdon. Before either of them, there was a whole load of work to do in the blazing sunshine, putting up thirty five pop-up tents for some of the participants -- despite the manufacturer's claims, some of the tents took more then two seconds to erect, and it was afternoon by the time we had got them all up and nailed them all down.

The afternoon hike started at our base camp, the campsite at Llwyn-celyn Bach farm. As a single group of about eighty, we walked into town, past the terminus of the Snowdon Mountain Railway, then through Coed Victoria (the woods), joining the Llanberis Path at Stefan's café, where it is still road. After going up hill a short way we turned right off the Llanberis Path and took the footpath to the level crossing over the railway, where were treated to an ascending train going past, then to the footbridge over the Afon Arddu, then to the gate at Brithdir, then back along the bridleway and the road to Llwyn-celyn Bach farm.

It really was a good idea having this warm-up hike, as several problems with participants' feet were identified and fixed in a much more forgiving environment than the night ahead. It would have been even better if all the 210-or-so participants of the night hike had taken part in the afternoon hike, but it was not to be. There is, of course, an selection bias in making the warm-up hike voluntary: those willing to go are those less likely to be suffering on the main hike, because anyone really un-fit is unlikely to want to do two hikes within hours of each other; unfortunately, there is no way round this. Anyway, it was good that it happened.

In the evening, I went out with Kate Worthington and an assistant mountain leader to put up waymarkers for the final section of the night hike, across the fields between the Llanberis Path just uphill from Stefan's café, and the stile adjacent to the Afon Hwch bridge. After that, I managed to get about three hours' kip before supper.

There was a great buzz as the remaining leaders and participants arrived and everyone got ready for the night hike. At the appointed time, we left in small groups, with me as the back marker of the last group, with another mountain leader at the front of the last group and an assistant on hand too, and with one more mountain leader behind me as the back marker of the whole event. It was rather exciting!

We headed out of the farm and along the road and bridleway to the bridge over the Afon Hwch, then to the footbridge over the Afon Arddu, then left over the level crossing to the junction with the Llanberis Path just uphill from Stefan's café. Things started to slow down then, and my group started to spread out, as the gradient increased. We took a break at Halfway House then set off slowly but steadily, conserving strength for the steep ascent to Clogwyn.

We were about a third of the way up the ascent to Clogwyn (after the path turns left, away from Clogwyn Coch), when a call came over the radio for me to meet one of the paramedics and take further instructions from him. He told me to take one of the participants from the group immediately ahead off the mountain and take her to the barn were we had a support station; her mother came with me, for which I was grateful. The group I had been with continued onwards, and I led the poorly participant and her mother back down.

We made very slow progress -- she was wracked by intermittent attacks of diarrhoea and vomiting, felt panicky, and could cover only about one mile every hour. Even though the weather was fairly mild, I was initially concerned that she might not be making enough heat to avoid becoming hypothermic, but her hands and face were warm, and her dexterity and speech unimpaired, all good signs; later, when she had removed her jacket temporarily to put on another layer, I was able to feel the lining of her jacket, and it was warm and dry, indicating that she was nowhere near being hypothermic.

All the time I was in radio contact with support station at the barn, and could have called for further assistance if I had needed it.

As we descended, and particularly after Halfway House, her condition improved, her mood lifted, and our speed increased very substantially. She became chatty and engaged. By the time I delivered her to the barn we were had covered the final half mile or so at a normal hiking speed, and with no mishaps of any kind.

By this time the other participants were on the way down from the summit. The plan all along and been that the walk would be guided in the ascent and marshalled in the descent, so I was assigned to walk back down and reverse the direction of the way markers so that the participants could find their way back to Llwyn-celyn Bach farm, then to stand at one of the junctions where they might get still make a wrong turn, and send them the right way.

There was another evacuation of one of our participants from the mountain, one where the casualty could not walk off, but needed urgent removal to hospital. While I was stood in the beautiful wooded glade on the bridge over the Afon Arddu waiting for the first of the descending participants to turn up, I saw the big red and white rescue helicopter land on the flattish area east of Maen-du'r Arddu, fly off in the direction of its base, return to land a few minutes later, then finally fly off in the direction of Bangor, where the nearest hospital is. I do not know the details of that rescue.

When the last three participants had passed me, I walked with them back to the finish line, feeling tired but elated.

I travelled home by train, having figured out in advance that it I would not be in a good state to drive home after working all night. I flopped into bed in the early evening and slept soundly right through until morning, and woke up looking forward to having the next weekend off.

teaching the basics of navigation to children, 17th September 2015

This was a half-day activity for the year-seven children of the Downs School in Bristol -- I was working for Aardvark Endeavours, under the direction of Martin Torbett.

The activity started in the lower public car park in Burrington Coombe and ended at the trig. point on Blackdown. To get from one to the other, the children, who had been placed in small groups, had to use textual clues and numerical direction and distance measures written on pieces of card, a compass, and a cut-up map, to navigate. On the way there were tokens to collect, and I had a bag of sweets to dish out as rewards.

My task was to assist the children in using the textual and numerical information, show them how to use the compass and how to count paces, make sure they stayed safe, provide first-aid cover, get them to the trig. point by one o'clock for lunch, and generally jolly them along.

The weather was perfect for the activity, which was a big help.

The bunch of kids I was looking after worked really well together, completed the task successfully, and did it with a good sense of fun. Well done, all of you.

Macmillan Marks & Spencer Jurassic Coast Challenge, 11th & 12th September

This was a two-day event on the Dorset coast for about 40 high-ranking managers of Marks and Spencer, in support of their fundraising for Macmillan. I was one of six Charity Challenge mountain leaders who accompanied the participants around their circular routes from Swanage, the first day just for a straightforward hike, and the second day livened with light-hearted treasure-hunting activities.

Food during the breaks was from the repertoire of M&S: yummy! I know where I'll be getting more of my sandwiches and crisps from now on.

It wasn't mountaineering and the distances weren't epic, but there was still a fair collection of blisters, sprains, unexpected locking-up of knees on descent, and runnings out of puff. Well done to all those who took part, especially those who had to tough it out when it wasn't easy.